The following was written by Greg Bates for the Bow Valley Ward Newsletter. I am putting it on the family blog for people to read who may have missed the newsletter.
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The siege of Baghdad in 1258 was a great tragedy. It was not the first time enemies had laid siege to the city, nor would it be last, but it was by far the most destructive, by far the most devastating.
At the time, Baghdad was one of the world's great centres of culture and learning. Its people, its great buildings including some 36 libraries containing thousands of priceless books and manuscripts, the work of countless scientists and scholars, destroyed, The tragic loss of life overshadowed all, but the loss of knowledge and of learning had an impact for centuries.
Why should such a tragedy matter to us? Given the perilous journey of our own scriptures with lost manuscripts and a burned printing press, we can perhaps appreciate in some small way how close we came to losing many great and precious truths we benefit from and take comfort in.
The "Olive Leaf" is just one example. Olive Leaf was the name given to the 88th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. The section contains a wealth of inspired truths and divine wisdom. One of many which inspires me is verse 118, which reads in part;
". . . Yea seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith."
And what are we admonished to learn out of the best books? Well among other things:
"Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land, and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms------"
In another lifetime, while attending university, I read an essay, a long essay, that helped set me on my life's course. The essay, entitled, Lament for a Nation, discussed " . . . the perplexities of the nations . . .." the perplexities of our own nation, Canada.
What does the term "best books" mean? Some 50 years ago, the Church published an anthology entitled, "Out of the Best Books". As the preface to Volume 2 states " . . . this volume includes material that will be stimulating to all members of a family who are ready for serious reading".
The anthology includes poems, short stories, essays and selections, as well as reprints, from some of the greatest writers and artists of the western world as well as Asia. No doubt many LDS students who struggle with Milton and Shakespeare take comfort in knowing that at least they are reading out of the best books.
It has never been easier to pick up a book. In addition to printed works, there are e-readers, smart phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops all offering an unprecedented amount of reading material online. There has never been a better time to read, never a better time to read "out of the best books".
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| The Mongol Sack of Baghdad, 1258 |
At the time, Baghdad was one of the world's great centres of culture and learning. Its people, its great buildings including some 36 libraries containing thousands of priceless books and manuscripts, the work of countless scientists and scholars, destroyed, The tragic loss of life overshadowed all, but the loss of knowledge and of learning had an impact for centuries.
Why should such a tragedy matter to us? Given the perilous journey of our own scriptures with lost manuscripts and a burned printing press, we can perhaps appreciate in some small way how close we came to losing many great and precious truths we benefit from and take comfort in.
The "Olive Leaf" is just one example. Olive Leaf was the name given to the 88th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. The section contains a wealth of inspired truths and divine wisdom. One of many which inspires me is verse 118, which reads in part;
". . . Yea seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith."
And what are we admonished to learn out of the best books? Well among other things:
"Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land, and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms------"
In another lifetime, while attending university, I read an essay, a long essay, that helped set me on my life's course. The essay, entitled, Lament for a Nation, discussed " . . . the perplexities of the nations . . .." the perplexities of our own nation, Canada.
What does the term "best books" mean? Some 50 years ago, the Church published an anthology entitled, "Out of the Best Books". As the preface to Volume 2 states " . . . this volume includes material that will be stimulating to all members of a family who are ready for serious reading".The anthology includes poems, short stories, essays and selections, as well as reprints, from some of the greatest writers and artists of the western world as well as Asia. No doubt many LDS students who struggle with Milton and Shakespeare take comfort in knowing that at least they are reading out of the best books.
It has never been easier to pick up a book. In addition to printed works, there are e-readers, smart phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops all offering an unprecedented amount of reading material online. There has never been a better time to read, never a better time to read "out of the best books".
- Published in the Bow Valley Ward Newsletter, June 1, 2020
I love this reminder of how it is important to learn about the past, politics, philosophy and more. This is inspiring for thinking about current action we can take on the TRC as rooted in our traditions of faith (rather than separate from it)
ReplyDeleteI don't have the eye for seeing history the way that Greg does. I had to go look up the Mongol Sack of Baghdad (1258) and refresh my mind as to what it was, though I can remember standing somewhere on one of our trips and listening to a guide tell us about this.
ReplyDeleteWere we in Istanbul when I was hearing this? I can remember the sick feeling in my stomach when I hear of infrastructure being ruin in a savage way.
I have been working on finding the links to the Truth and Reconciliation 94 Calls to Action as well. I have to remember I can't do them all, but I can do read something every day about it.